With the release of their second EP (third if you count the Crossing Colors EP released as Il abanico) rapidly approaching, Brooklyn quartet Salt Cathedral certainly aren’t messing around. While already releasing “Tease” earlier this summer and offering up a remix by Kodak to Graph just two short weeks ago, Salt Cathedral are reveling in every facet of their new electronic focused sound while blowing up any previously conceived notions about their approach to it with each subsequent peek at the OOM VELT EP.
“Holy Soul”, the third taste from the EP that’s due out at the end of this month, is at its very basis one of those female vocals over beats songs that seems to be all the rage right now. There’s no denying that. Much of the complex rhythmic structure and interlocking instrument formations are purged in favor of something a little more pure to highlight what fans of theirs may have already known but a simple fact that it doesn’t hurt to reestablish: Juliana Ronderos’ vocals are the essence of Salt Cathedral down to their core. That’s not surprising – it’s the one unaffected constant in their recent genre shakeup and arguably the most compelling. Years of collaborating has only strengthened Nicolas Losada and Ronderos’ creative bonds and solidified their reliance on Ronderos’ vocal prowess.
Despite its sparse accompaniment, “Holy Soul” is a shining example of subtle producing. As the rest of the band stay well out of the way of Ronderos, it remains an interesting displaying of textural fortitude. The layering is slight but intriguing and absolutely crucial to the mood and even gets its moments of spotlight during vocal breaks. The big drum pad beats are there but the most monumental are the tiny fluttering click beats whose climactic rise actually form Ronderos’ initial jumping off point. With “Holy Soul”, Salt Cathedral display their diversity even going so far as to outdo the nuances of their previous ballad “Good Winds”. With such a multifaceted approach to electronica, you can only imagine what the rest of OOM VELT will sound like. Luckily that anticipation won’t have to wait too much longer.
Salt Cathedral’s OOM VELT EP is out August 25th on limited edition cream 12″ vinyl as well as digitally. You can preorder it here. In case you missed it, here’s Gainesville producer Kodak to Graph’s “Tease” remix:
